Geoculus and Anemoculus collecting at Genshin Impact’s launch had me ill. I whined, complained, begged my partner for help, irritated my friends, and then whined a little more. For someone who prides herself as being a bit of a Genshin Impact enthusiast, I sure did complain a lot early on. That has long since passed – I finished those chores close to launch – but in just about every RPG, I do love a good collectibles hunt. Despite what my moaning would have you believe, it’s not all that bad in Genshin Impact’s earlier areas, but the new set of Oculus – Inazuma’s Electroculus – has me eager to constantly log in.
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Before I rag a bit on Geoculus and Anemoculus too much, I get what Mihoyo is doing. Those little items – which are used for unlocking regions of maps – force you to climb, crawl, and fly around every nook and cranny of Teyvat. Mihoyo is teaching us to learn the map, to discover new locations, and of course, present a little challenge along the way. The thing is, I hated a lot of the old collectibles because there weren’t many that felt challenging in interesting ways. Instead, it was mostly just “please jump and glide down to this one,” or “climb the side of this really tall mountain and hope your stamina doesn’t run out.” Inazuma does still have that, but the majority of them are much more thoughtful.
Electroculus do the same thing as before, I need a certain amount of them to unlock each little region of Inazuma before I ultimately reveal the whole map. But in my collecting this go around, I’m noticing more puzzles scattered amongst the more monotonous tasks. Mihoyo hands me plenty of little freebies that make me feel like a big smart girl, but I’m enjoying those more carrot-on-a-stick moments. Those times where Mihoyo dangles an Electroculus in front of me locked behind a gate and I’ve got to open it, or when one is submerged underwater and I need to figure out how to get down there.
There’s this one trial, just east of Nazuchi beach, where Mihoyo presents you with several little puzzles to score multiple Electroculus. Much to the absolute fury of my friends, I loved jumping between these, even the infamous “Three Compass Puzzle,” where you have to bait these Electro element compasses to face you. When collecting Geoculus and Anemoculus, I very rarely felt like I’d encounter several in a row that asked me to think a little harder, but I did have to climb down the side of one-too-many mountains.
And in the defense of earlier Oculus collecting, I think I’ve changed my attitude this go around – and it certainly helps. Mihoyo was asking me to explore and learn, while I was trying to power through content to keep up with my group of friends playing. This time around, I’m a little slower, a little more methodical, and taking in the sights. I’m admiring Inazuma because while exploring Teyvat may annoy me sometimes, it’s always beautiful. And I’m glad Mihoyo is teaching me where to look, what to explore, and what sites to appreciate.
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